Solaris vs Superfly Elite Al

I've been set on changing my Soul to a Solaris but seen the Superfly and this looks better value for money. Anyone ridden one / got one or ridden both as a comparison?
My head says Superfly, heart says Solaris, help doing my head in!

I tested a superfly - it was fast, but skittish. I didn't take to it at all. Felt light, stiff and direct, but too 'clinical' if that makes any sense. Prefer my scandal 29. The superfly had hard, narrow tyres though. For trail riding and not racing, I'd go for the Solaris.

Mainly natural trails around Mendips, Exmoor occasionally Leigh Woods Ashton Court. I've a Stereo for big days out in Wales etc. Just want something that allows me to get out for quick rides plus makes the ride to trails easier,around 5 road miles when I have more time.

dragon - Member
If you can tell the difference between bikes with 0.5cm different chainstay length

My bike has adjustable dropouts (5mm options between 425-445mm), and you can definitely feel the difference moving between them, and I'm far from a riding god. That's kinda why we have short chainstay and not all run mega longs ones afterall

The Highball intrigues me - the top-tubes seem short for the standover. I would be interested in anyone my height (5'10") and their experiences on medium or large frames? There was talk of a ss version of the FF29 but it seems to be on hold.

I'm gonna recommend the FF29 as another option man - beautiful balanced bike and lighter than both of the two you mentioned... also can go race or trail mode - wide bar, short stem and 100mm /120mm fork you decide! I decided on a FF29 over a Solaris and happy I did.

However, try both best way to decide for yourself... there are demo FF29s in some outlets and a full build for 1,500 pound is fantastic.

Thanks for all the responses guys. My only worry is the Fly will be to harsh, all my hardtails have been steel. I'll be honest the FF29 doesn't do it for me even thou reviews are good. Part of it has to liking the looks, that is why the Fly caught my eye, it does look nice bike.

I don't find my Trek X-Cal harsh, and have happily done 30+ miles in a day on it offroad. However, I don't really buy into frame harshness anyway when it's got front shocks and big fat tyres on.

Worth noting that the Trek has a 27.2mm seatpost compared to the Cotics 31.6mm. So it's quite possible the Trek will feel less harsh than the Cotic due to more seatpost flex. However, the Trek is more limited if you want to run a dropper post.

I'd go for the Trek as well, even a cheaper version. I also found that the geometry with the same forks, tube lengths, etc, is virtually identical. I had a 2010 Paragon and ran it with a 120mm fork, wide bars and short stem. Brilliant fun. It was only the typically harsh aluminium ride that persuaded me to buy a Cotic Solaris. Having said that the Solaris is not as absorbent over bumps as my 2008 Soul so I run a shim and the carbon seatpost I used in the Paragon. The main difference I found is that when charging downhill over rough ground the Solaris doesn't kick around like the Paragon did. The Solaris is nearly a pound heavier though!